By Kim Velsey 12/21/12 1:23pm

fiscal cliff

Don't let the taxman take it away.

Buyers, Sellers and Brokers All Work Together to Escape the Taxman

Closings can be fraught with tensions between buyers, sellers, co-op boards. But the end of 2012 has brought a new esprit de corps to high-end residential real estate deals. Finally, brokers report, everyone is happy to work together. Is it the holiday spirit uniting this diverse group? Not at all! Just a shared class consciousness born out of the knowledge that capital gains taxes will be increasing next year.

Much like trust transfers, there’s a real impetus to complete the deals before we all fall off the fiscal cliff. Capital gains taxes, as of January 1, are expected to rise from 15 percent to at least 23.8 percent, and possibly more. Read More

By Robert Knakal 1/03/12 1:30pm

concrete thoughts

Robert Knakal.

With Current Tax Rates Ending, Capital Gains Taxes Threaten to Move Markets

Recently, one of the questions I have been asked most frequently is what factor will have the most significant impact on the investment sales market in 2012. Interest rates could have the most profound impact on our market, particularly if they rise more quickly and to a greater degree than most people expect (which is not an outlandish assumption), but I believe taxes will have the biggest impact on market activity, especially the volume of sales. By taxes, I mean capital gains taxes or at least the anticipation of their rising. Read More